Honda · Ridgeline · 2021
5
Recalls
91
Complaints
5/5
Safety Rating
The 2021 Honda Ridgeline has 5 recalls and 91 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Overall safety rating: 5 out of 5 stars. Most reported issue: exterior lighting (13 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
Frontal Crash Test

Side Crash Test
Overall Frontal Rating
Driver and Passenger Assessment
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Overall Side Rating
Side Barrier and Side Pole Tests
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Rollover Resistance
16.4% rollover risk in single-vehicle crash
Safety Features
Honda (America Honda Motor Co) is recalling certain 2020-2024 Ridgeline vehicles. The rearview camera (RVC) tailgate wire harness may fatigue and break, which can prevent the rearview camera image from displaying.
Remedy Status
Dealers will replace the RVC tailgate wire harness, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed November 8, 2024. Owners may contact Honda service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is YI7.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V, Odyssey, 2020 Civic coupe, Fit, 2021-2022 Civic hatchback, 2021 Civic Type R, Insight, 2020-2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline, Accord Hybrid, 2020 Acura MDX, 2022 Acura MDX, 2020-2022 Acura RDX, and 2020-2021 Acura TLX vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, failing to suppress the air bag as intended.
Remedy Status
Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2024, October 18, 2024, and August 2025. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XHP and VHQ.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2021 Accord Sedan, Accord Hybrid, CR-V, Ridgeline, 2022 Insight and CR-V Hybrid vehicles. The automatic locking retractor on the second-row center seat belt assembly may deactivate improperly, which can result in an unsecured child restraint system. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Remedy Status
Dealers will replace the second-row center seat belt assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2022. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Pilot and Ridgeline, and 2020-2022 Passport and Odyssey vehicles. The heating pads behind both side-view mirrors may not be bonded properly, allowing the mirror glass to detach. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy Status
Dealers will replace both left and right side-view mirrors, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed January 17, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is FE5.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Civic, 2020-2023 Ridgeline, 2021-2023 Passport, 2021-2022 Pilot, and 2020 Acura MDX vehicles. The tie rod fastener that connects the brake booster and the brake master cylinder may have been improperly assembled during manufacturing, which can cause the brake master cylinder to separate from the booster assembly.
Remedy Status
Dealers will inspect and repair the brake booster assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 7, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are VEU, AEV, and ZET.
Forward brake assist, collision mitigation, auto headlight dash lights came on sporadically. As of today the lights are now on constant and unable to clear. Advised that the forward facing camera most likely died and a replacement due to recalibration would be 1500-2000..
Driving home from work on a Friday about 1am and my engine started t knock and sputter and the engine light started flashing. Luckily I made it home. I let it sit for a minute and started it back up and it ran fine. I let it sit over the weekend I made an appointment the the dealership for the following Monday. On Monday it started fine to go to my dealer appointment but half way there every caution light imaginable came on and the info screen was scrolling failure of every system in the truck it seamed. Even the D for drive was flashing. It was knocking, sputtering with loss of power. Like it was in limp mode. Made it to the dealer and they said it was misfiring which caused the engine to come apart inside. 11K for a new engine or 8K for a used one with 46K miles. The truck only had 86,000 miles on it and has been always dealer maintained. We buy Hondas mostly for their reliability. Skeptical about buying another one
Vehicle started making a clunking noise that could be felt at 45,000 miles when steering left and right. An independent auto business found loose subframe bolts and lower control arm as well as checked sway bar links and found loose core support braces. The clunking stopped after the bolts were tightened. I found this very odd and concerning. 2021 Honda Rigdeline RTL. Cost to remedy included two hours of labor.
The check engine light came on Dec 26 which I took to have checked and was told that it should go to the shop. The code was not being stored. I took it to the Honda dealership and they did a complete check and said the engine had gone back. The connecting rods and barrings cause the engine to fail and it needed to be replaced. I contacted Honda Goodwill and they declined to do anything to help repair the engine.
The contact's husband owns a 2021 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 55 MPH, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode and made an abnormal knocking sound. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The driver was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the timing belt, the water pump, and the tensioner pulley were replaced; however, the knocking sound persisted. The dealer determined that the lower bearing had failed, and the dealer recommended replacing the engine with a used engine. Additionally, the contact was advised that the oil pump was leaking and might need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was filed. The manufacturer requested the vehicle service records. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: EA25004 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.
The Multipurpose Camera had an Internal Electronic Failure. Indications we all of the warning lights were illuminated on my dash. Initially it began when I had about 43, 400 miles on my truck. The warning lights would all remail lighted on starting the vehicle. I could restart the vehicle and eventually get the lights to go off. Then the slowly began to stay on permanently. I eventually made an appointment and took my truck into a Honda dealership and it was diagnosed a the failure of the Multipurpose Camera at 44,000 miles. The Honda Service Tech told me that none of my safety features were working at this time which really scared me. The Honda Dealership witnessed the dashboard warning lights and ran a diagnostic indicating the problem. The dealership ordered a replacement camera and replaced it. Parts and Labor were $2118.78. The first indication was when the warning lights began staying lit on my dash.
I began to hear a knocking noise at 2500 to 3500 rpms and I immediately took my vehicle to the dealer who confirmed rod bearing damage.
The forward collision system frequently goes off from a vehicle simply driving in their lane normally. The truck alarms, shakes the wheel, and sometimes brakes automatically. This is alarming for my kids riding in the car and the braking is dangerous for cars behind me. This could cause a rear end collision.
Engine began knocking from the bottom end at 53k miles. It was determined that a connecting rod bearing had failed and Honda is replacing my engine under warranty. No cost was incurred to me but I am adding my complaint because my VIN is not included in the recall for this exact problem in other years close to mine and the recall my need to be expanded to a wider range of VINs.
While making a right turn from a yield sign into oncoming traffic and doing about 15 mph, I depressed the accelerator to speed up and the truck stalled for about 2 seconds. The RPM's drop and you literally lunge forward until power resumes. No warning lights come on and no codes are given. This put my safety at risk and the driver accelerating towards me at risk. This is the first time it happened with my 2021 Ridgeline. However, my 2019 Ridgeline had this happen about a dozen times. Honda Service could never replicate the issue with the 2019 Ridgeline, but there was enough data out there about defective High Pressure Fuel Pumps that they agreed to replace the pump. After replacing the pump, the issue went away. Now my 2021 Ridgeline is doing the exact same thing. I can therefore only assume it's the High Pressure Fuel Pump again. I see that Honda recalled 628,000 vehicles in 2021 and then recalled an additional 720,000 vehicles in 2024 for the High Pressure Fuel Pump failing. My current VIN for some reason is not in this recall. Honda Corporate was of no help whatsoever when contacting them. They told me my truck is not under recall. This is a severe Safety Issue and Honda needs to expand the recall to cover my VIN and any other VIN's that are affected by this defective High Pressure Fuel Pump.
2021 Honda Ridgeline RTL-E. Part number 36160-T6Z-A62-M1 failure, hard code U3000-49. Results in total loss of Honda Sense Safety system. Including Collision Mitigation Braking System, Road Departure Mitigation System, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keeping Assist System, Traffic Sign Recognition, Auto High-Beam Headlights. This appears to be a fairly common issue across Honda models where the multipurpose camera fails, generally due to heat from exposure to sun. The replacement cost and required re-calibration via the dealer is ~$2000. Living in northern California with extreme heat, I will assume this problem will resurface after a few years resulting in another $2000+ repair.
Truck was waiting at a stop light in drive mode and foot on brake pedal. When the light changed to green. I tried to accelerate to go and the whole vehicle shook/lunges forward and shut off. Vehicle went into neutral and wouldn't allow me to go into drive mode. I had to restart the vehicle twice before it allowed me to go into drive again. Vehicle was stuck in the middle of the street with oncoming/ongoing traffic. I had this vehicle at the honda dealer(with documents) three times previous for this issue and its still not resolved. Please help.
My 2021 Honda Ridgeline engine failed in heavy traffic on the freeway. The car malfunctioned and I lost complete power and started coasting and barely made it through 4 lanes of heavy traffic before the car coasted to a stop. Very dangerous and very lucky not to get hit changing lanes and then waiting on the freeway for assistance. I've made regular oil changes as directed by the computer on the vehicle. The problem was not connected to a lack of oil. I'm [XXX] and I take very good care of my vehicles. Not one scratch on my black edition Ridgeline. My vehicle is still at the Honda dealership. I don't believe I should pay for another engine nor do I have the money to do so. Having a complete engine failure on the freeway is a major safety issue and Honda needs to fix it now and in the future. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while at a stoplight, the Auto START/STOP feature malfunctioned, and after releasing the brake pedal, the engine failed to automatically restart as designed. After shifting back to park(P), the vehicle restarted and operated as normal. The cause of the failure was not yet been determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The contact was informed of the NHTSA Action Number: EA25004 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the investigation. The failure mileage was 50,500. The VIN was not available.
This has something to do with circuit board for the seat sensor that activates air bag? I can’t get dealer to take care of recall. They keep saying we don’t have the parts. This is going on since at least September of last year. Why have recall if they aren’t going to do anything about it? They make appointments and then cancel. I have called Honda Customer Service number(twice) listed on the recall paper twice. Always get told to call dealer and talk to them. Dealer makes appointment and then cancels a few days before the date to bring it in. I have contacted dealer many times about this. Why issue a recall and then don’t fix anything?
Auto High Beam. Very sensitive. Sometimes they don't go on when they should and sometimes, they stay on blinding oncoming traffic. I have researched this problem and also have been told this is a known problem with this particular model and year - not just my vehicle.
Vehicle has an open recall, but dealer still don't have the parts available to repair for almost a year.
2021 Honda Ridgeline Sport with 60,000 miles and no other issues. Engine failed to restart after the "auto stop/start" kicked in, all the lights on the dashboard went off and then turned off. After 1 minute, I was able to get the car started again, this happened on 3 different occasions over a 4 week period. Got the car tested and the starter was bad. Contacted Honda, they said too bad, no issues with the starter. I got the starter replaced for $800 and now NHTSA is investigating the issue Honda said was not an issue.
At 48,000 miles, the vehicle began to experience multiple Advanced Driver Assistance Systems problems, including Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Collision Warning, Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Warning, Lane Departure Warning, and Lane Keeping Assistance, which rendered all these systems inoperable. Systems that were designed to mitigate collisions became non-functional, and continuous warnings on the dashboard were a distraction while driving. Dealer scanned the vehicle with a code U300-40 Multipurpose Camera Unit/Millimeter Wave Radar Internal Electronic Failure, and diagnosed a failure of the multipurpose camera, which was then replaced and recalibrated. I have retained the failed unit after paying to have the replacement installed and calibrated. All warning lamps for the above mentioned systems flashed on my dashboard every time the vehicle was started, prior to the dealer repair. The safety of the driver and those around them was affected because repairs for this safety feature suite may be cost prohibitive to some ($2000) and they just won't fix it.
Headlights don't dim in the auto function when there is oncoming traffic. Lights cycle from dim to bright when no oncoming traffic is present. This is an ongoing problem that presents every time the vehicle is driven at night.
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2021 Honda Ridgeline has 5 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 91 owner-reported complaints for the 2021 Honda Ridgeline.
The 2021 Honda Ridgeline received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars from NHTSA.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2021 Honda Ridgeline are exterior lighting (13 reports), engine (12 reports), unknown or other (9 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 5 recalls on record for the 2021 Honda Ridgeline. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
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This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.